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Reviews
Profilage (2009)
A Bridge Too Far
The transition from the flighty Chloe to the more dramatic Adele was done more-or-less seamlessly and with one exception discussed later, Juliette Roudet was extremely skillful in portraying the range of emotions tied to her character.
The supporting cast held their own, even with occasional thin material. Phillipe Bas was an extremely credible detective, and Raphael Ferret had an understated comic talent.
When the series at least partially stayed on the cerebral side, it was worthwhile viewing. Then the writers fell into a common trap--inventing the mysterious and elusive arch villain--the French Hannibal Lector. They managed to walk the fine line between credibility and comic book portrayals until the last episode, when it all fell apart. The attempt to fashion another series of episodes was clumsy and eroded the story arc it was trying to preserve.
Ballykissangel (1996)
Sometimes it wobbles, but...
I suspect it's difficult to sustain a long story line without occasional lapses into soap-opera territory. The occasional agonized glances and cryptic dialogue remind me I should say, "Offer it up."
That said, the writers do a masterful job with the various roles. It's reminiscent of some of Peter DeVries, whose dotty Irish characters alternately delighted and irritated. I've watched three series, and it's remarkable how the actors vanish into their roles, unlike other bar-themed productions like Cheers. Frazier was a great character, but he was still Kelsey Grammer.
Sidenotes--If Gary Whelan (Brendan) isn't a reincarnated Joe McCarthy, I don't know who could be, and if If the late Niall Tobin as the pastor wasn't a priest, he should have been.
The ensemble simply shines from top to bottom. Deirdre Donnelly as the vet and Bosco Hogan as the town GP make you wish they were treating you or your pets, and Peter Caffrey as Padraig is the barfly you'd always buy a drink for.
The Vast of Night (2019)
Been there before
The good news--it's not a candidate for Mystery Science Theater 3000. The bad--it's the Cliff Notes version of Close Encounters.
The actors are fine, although Fay can be a bit grating, maybe intentionally. And the story progresses nicely with good use of period scenes and real or imagined shadows. But it ultimately runs into the same problem all ET-buildup stories face--"How the hell do we resolve this?" Drift off inconclusively? It was all a dream? Create a monster alien object to extinguish all doubt? The human characters aren't really human after all?
In the end, it opts for the Close Encounters approach--Beam 'em up. Tidy, but not very satisfying.